MIPIM 2017: The New Deal

A technology revolution, geopolitical instability and societal changes are sweeping through the business world. As a result, property professionals are facing new challenges that drive them to understand their business differently. This “New Deal” is to be the central theme of the 28th edition of MIPIM.
Organised by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions, MIPIM, the world’s property market, will be held in Cannes from 14 to 17 March 2017.
“As a precursor of new trends, MIPIM gave pride of place in 2014 to the digital technology revolution, which is disrupting the global economy because it has accelerated all the changes we are witnessing today. We want to put this profound transformation centre-stage in discussions at MIPIM by choosing the New Deal as the leading theme of this 28th edition,” says Filippo Rean, Director of the Property Division at Reed MIDEM.
According to the UN, 54% of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas, and by 2050, this figure should reach 66%*. Today, cities have become economic and demographic hubs with a global reach, sometimes surpassing the nation to which they belong. These new world cities are generating geopolitical changes that have an impact on the global economy, and also on the property industry.
Megacities, for example, are emerging at an exponential rate such as Lagos in Nigeria, the most populous city in Africa, and Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is drawing heavily on the Asian urban development model and recently signed a $15 million contract to develop a new master plan for the city**. For property professionals, the challenge will be to export their technology know-how and experience while adapting them to local customs.
According to the global strategist Parag Khanna, an international relations expert and author of Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization, increasing connectivity is poised to push back national borders and give power to the connected people and organizations.
Parag Khanna will present his vision to MIPIM attendees at the official opening ceremony on Tuesday, 14th of March. He will lay out the groundwork for the New Deal and highlight its implications for international real estate.
In addition to these elements of strategic thinking, the MIPIM conference programme will give attendees the means to turn ideas into action.
Three new formats will be showcased in the conference programme:
• Predictive scenarios where an expert will outline three possible futures around the same topical issue. Which will be the most likely scenario? Attendees will be able to vote at the beginning of the session. Will they have changed their minds by the end of the conference?
• A masterclass, where a key player from the property world or other sector, will talk about their career and share their experiences and successes with the audience.
• Creative sessions (subscription only), which will enable participants to learn about new techniques for innovation and be coached on these issues to think about their jobs differently.